Review of variability in treatment outcomes across Misophonia studies

In a systematic narrative review of seven CBT-for-misophonia studies spanning case reports, observational designs, open trials, and RCTs, Aazh (2026) reported that CBT was generally associated with improvements in severity, distress, anger, functional impairment, and coping, but that magnitude and consistency varied substantially. The strongest effects came from RCTs (Jager et al., 2022 ; Lewin et al., 2026), while single-case designs showed variable response (e.g., recovery rates of 43.8%, 42.3%, and 9.1% in Roushani and Mehrabizadeh Honarmand, 2021), and a meaningful proportion of participants remained clinically significantly impaired after treatment (e.g., 22% in Aazh, Najjari and Moore, 2024). The author concluded that recovery following CBT exists on a continuum rather than a simple success/failure distinction (Aazh, 2026).